Mechanism for packing parallelepipedal articles



Feb. 18, 1969 p, ENGELER 3,427,784

MECHANISM FOR PACKING PARALLELEPIPEDAL ARTIQLES Filed June 13. 1966 Sheet 4 of 5 3,427,784 MECHANISM FOR PACKING PARALLELEPIPEDAL ARTICLES Filed June 13, 1966 P. ENGELER Feb. 18, 1969 Sheet 2 015 United States Patent 3,427,784 MECHANISM FOR PACKING PARALLEL- EPIPEDAL ARTICLES Paul Engeler, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland, as-

signor to' Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland Filed June 13, 1966, Ser. No. 556,947

Claims priority, application Switzerland, June 30, 1965,

9,140/65 Us. or. s3 172 Claims Int. Cl. B65b 5/06, 11/06, 41/18 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a mechanism for packing parallelepipedal articles.

Hitherto, packing mechanisms have not proved entirely satisfactory when packing articles which are not rigid and do not maintain uniformity of size. For example, this is the case if the article in itself is not rigid, or if it is made up of a plurality of separate objects which are to be held together by a packing material.

According to the present invention there is provided a packing mechanism having a fold device provided with a fold passage through which an object to be packed is conveyed in order to apply packaging material around the object, whereupon the folding of the material is completed by means of fold blades, the mechanism comprising a magazine for storing a supply of packing strips; an extractor device which, during each operating cycle, removes a packing strip. from the magazine and conveys it to the input of the fold device so that it comes to lie between a packing sheet also delivered to this input, and the object to be packed, the strips being folded, under the packing sheet, around the end and side walls of the object whilst said object is being conveyed through the fold passage.

The invention will be described further, by Way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective representation serving to describe a packing operation;

FIG. 2 is a schematically simplified plan view of a mechanism for carrying out the packing operation illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line IV-IV in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a view in the direction of the arrow V in FIG. 2. I

As shown in FIG. 1, an object 1 to be packed has the form of a parallelepiped and is made up from six small articles or packages 1' in abutting relationship. A strip 2 of corrugated cardboard and a rectangular sheet 3 of strong paper are provided as packing material. The width b of the strip 2 is equal to the height h of the object 1, and the length of the strip 2 is equal to the periphery of the object. The strip 2 is sub-divided by weakening lines 4 (produced by scoring, for example) into five rectangular regions of which the central region 5 is equal in area to the area of one of the two ends of the object 1, and lies opposite one of these ends. The two regions 6 adjacent to the central region 5 are each equal in area to a side of the object 1, and the two outer regions 7 are each equal in area to one half of an end of the object.

If the object 1 is conveyed in the direction of. the arrow 8, the strip 2 is folded around the object 1 (by means described in more detail later) so that it forms a relatively rigid jacket around the object, with the weakening lines 4 coinciding with the vertical edges of the object 1, thus ensuring a neat appearance to the folded strip 2. At the same time, the sheet 3 is folded around the object 1 encompassed by the jacket formed by the strip 2. This folding is carried out in a known manner as described in detail in British patent application No. 3,939/64. A

' partially packed object designated 1a is also illustrated in FIG. 1. The front end face and the side faces of the object 1a are enclosed by both the strip 2 and the sheet 3 whilst its upper and lower faces are enclosed by the sheet 3 alone. On the other hand, the rear end face 9 is still exposed, which end face is only partially visible in the perspective illustration and is indicated, for the greater part by broken lines. The two outer regions 7 of the strip 2 together with the portions of the sheet 3 projecting beyond the face 9 are now folded around the end face 9 by means of two fold blades 11 which are symmetrically displaceable back and forth in the direction of the double arrows 10. Finally, the lower and upper portions of the sheet 3 projecting beyond the end face 9 are folded respectively upwardly and downwardly by means of further fold blades 12 not shown in FIG. 1 (see FIG. 3). These latter portions are designated 13 and 14 respectively on a finished package 1b in FIG. 1.

Compared with the package described in the abovementioned patent application No. 3,939/ 64, the package 1b has the advantage in that it is much more rigid, which is of particular importance when, for example, the object 1, as illustrated, comprises a plurality of separate objects 1, or when the object itself has no firm edges. In the latter case, the neat folding of the sheet 3 is ensured by the edges of the jacket formed by the strip 2.

The mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5 for making the described package 1b has, according to FIGS. 2 and 4, a magazine 15 from which the strips 2 are consecutively removed in order to bring them into a position 2" in which they are located in front of a fold device 16 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) by means of which the object 1 is packed in the manner described. The strip magazine 15 has a grid 17 on whose transverse bars 18 the strips 2 are stacked upright and adjacent to each other. Carriers 19 are maintained under traction effected by weights or springs so that they seek to displace th entire stack of strips in the direction of the arrows 20 (FIGS. 2 and 4). Lateral guides 21 maintain the stack together. The guide 21 may be adjusted (in a manner not shown) in order to permit the stacking of strips 2 of different length. Stops 22 for retaining the stack are located at the output end of the magazine.

The last strip 2 abutting against the stops 22 is removed from the magazine 15 by an extracting device 23. This device has a first pusher 24 (FIG. 4) pivoted to one end of a lever 25, a piston rod 26 being pivoted through a link 27, to the other end of the lever 25. The piston rod 26 is actuated by a compressed air cylinder 28. One end of an angled connecting rod 30 is pivoted to the lever 25 by a ball joint 29, and the other end of the connecting rod is pivoted to a swivel arm 31 which, in turn, is pivotable about a spindle 32 and serves to guide the lever 25, during the movement of the piston rod, such that the first pusher 24 may carry out a vertical reciprocating movement in the direction of the double arrow 33. This movement can also be effected by the swivel arm 31, wherein the member 28 would then merely represent a guide bearing for the rod 26. The last strip 2' of the stack may be displaced downwardly by means of the pusher 24, as shown in FIG. 4, so that it is removed from the zone of the stops 22 into a guide 34.

The extracting device 23 has a second pusher 35 (see FIGS. 2 and flexibly pivoted on a slide carriage 36, which carriage is guided on a rod 37 (omitted in FIG. 5). The pusher is pressed against a guide 38 (omitted in FIG. 2) by its flexible pivot. The slide carriage 36 is attached (in a manner not shown in detail) to the upper run of an endless chain 39, which chain runs over two sprocket wheels 40 and 41. The sprocket wheel 41 is connected to a drive wheel 42, which is driven by a reversible motor 45, through an endless chain 43 and a sprocket wheel 44. The slide carriage 36, and thus the pusher 35, is displaceable in the direction of the double arrow 46, i.e., horizontally, by means of the reversible motor. When the strip has been brought into the position 2 by the vertical pusher 24 it may-unobstructed by the stops 22be grasped by the horizontal pusher 35 and pushed towards the folding device 16, as indicated by the dash-dot line at 2" in FIG. 5. At the end of the operating stroke of the horizontal pusher 35, the strip arrives at the position 2" in which it is located at the input of the folding device 16 and in front of the sheet 3 which has been brought into position by known means (not shown).

The strip 2 is guided into its position 2" by a step 48 provided in a table plate 47 and by a guide rail 49 having a downwardly directed groove, which guide rail is movable upwardly by means of a lifting device 50. The lifting device 50 (omitted in FIG. 2) has a rigidly compressed-air cylinder 51 on whose piston rod 52 is pivoted a lever 53, which lever is attached to a swivel spindle 54. A swivel arm 55 is attached in the vicinity of each end of a swivel spindle 54. The free, bifurcated ends of the swivel arms surround trunnions 56 attached to the lower ends of vertically conducted rods 57. The two ends of the guide rail 49 are attached to the upper ends of the two vertically conducted rods 57, and as as seen from FIG. 3, the guide rail 49 is moved upwardly when the piston rod 52 moves towards the left, so that the strip 2" is free to follow the movement of the object 1 lying on the table plate 47, when the object is displaced in the direction of the arrow 59 by a feed-piston 58.

The fold device 16 has a fold passage 59, of which only the base 60 and the cover 61 is illustrated. The side walls are constructed in a known manner, e.g., each is formed by two fold blades of the kind described in patent application No. 3,939/64. As shown in FIG. 1, the base 60 extends laterally beyond the side walls of the fold passage and is provided, within the fold passage, wtih an end piece 62 which is pivotable about a transverse swivel axis. The swivel axis may be formed by an actual hinge, or merely by pivotally attaching the end piece 62 to the base 60. The end piece 62 may be pivoted downwardly from its horizontal position through a small angle by means of a pivoting device 63. The pivoting device 63 has a rigidly mounted compressed-air cylinder 64 on whose piston rod 65 is pivoted a lever attached to a spindle 67, two arms 68 parallel to each other being attached to the said spindle and engaging the end piece 62.

The cover 61 is attached to a frame at 69 and is relatively thin and flexible, so that it may be pivoted or bent slightly upwards into the position designated 61'. A pivoting device 70 (omitted in FIG. 2) having a rigidly mounted compressed-air cylinder 71 is provided for this purpose, the piston rod 72 of said compressed-air cylinder being articulated to a lever 74 which is pivotable about a spindle 73. The other end of the lever 74 has two arms 75 parallel to each other which engage on the cover 61.

The previously mentioned fold blades 11 and 12 arrangd in pairs are moved by compressed-air cylinders and pistons (not shown) and are located at the output of the fold passage 59.

Behind the fold blades 11 and 12, a table plate 76 and a cover 77 are provided as a continuation of the respective base 60 and cover 61 and are spaced at distance therefrom suflicient for the movement of the fold blades 11 and 12. An object already located under the cover 77 is indicated by dash-dot lines and conforms to the state of packaging designated 1a in FIG. 1, the portions of the strip 2 and the sheet 3 situated behind the end wall 9 are still located in the fold passage 59. A conveyor mechanism (not shown) comprising laterally arranged, endless friction rims, for example, serves for the further conveying of the completely packed objects on the table plate 76.

The method of operation of the packing mechanism has already been described substantially in the foregoing. When a strip 2 has been removed from the magazine 15 by means of the extracting device 23 and brought into the position 2" in front of the input of the fold device 16, the upper guide rail 49 is first of all raised by means of the lifting device 50. The feed-piston 58 then thrusts the object 1 through the fold passage 59 until it is under the cover 77. The base 60 and the cover 77 then fold the sheet into a U-shape in the direction of the arrows designated 78 in FIG. 3, whereupon the side walls fold the strip 2 and the sheet 3 in the manner described with reference to FIG. 1. Before the horizontal fold blades 11 are moved inwards (when the state of packing is that designated 1a) in order to fold the outer regions 7 of the strip 2, the end piece 62 of the base 60 and the cover 61 are pivoted into the respective positions 62 and 61, i.e., forced away slightly from each other, so that the frictionless folding of the outer regions 7 is rendered possible. The upper and lower edges of these outer regions would otherwise rub heavily on the base and the cover and might be damaged as a result. After the vertical fold blades 12 have been moved inwards, the package 111 is ready and is conveyed away, whereupon a new operating stroke of the feed-piston takes place, and so on. Of course, the movements of the various pneumatic cylinders, the reversible motor 45 and all the other moved parts must be synchronised with each other. It is obvious that very many details of the described mechanism may be modifiedfor example, the drive for the slide carriage, the form and construction of the pushers, and the like; the pusher 35, for example, may comprise two fingers of which the lower one abuts against the guide 38, the upper one being in contact with the sheet 2". Further, it is not essential for the strip 2 and the sheet 3 to be made respectively from cardboard and paper.

I claim:

1. In a packaging mechanism including a fold device having a fold passage therethrough, means for conveying an object to be packed through said fold passage in order to apply packaging material therearound, and fold blades for completing the folding of the packaging material around the object, the improvement comprising a magazine for storing a supply of packing strips, an extractor device which during each operating cycle removes a packing strip from the magazine and conveys it to a position at the input of the fold device, a lower step shaped guide member, an upper guide member, and a lifting device for moving said upper guide member away from the strip, said guide members directing the packing strip into said position at the input of the fold device, and the strips being folded under a packing sheet around the end and side walls of the object whilst said object is being conveyed through the fold passage.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, including a base in said fold passage, said base comprising a main portion and an end piece at said output end, pivot means connecting said end piece with said main portion of the base to render said end piece pivotable about an axis transverse to the length of the fold passage, and a pneumatic piston and cylinder arrangement for deflecting said end piece downwardly on said pivot means.

3. A mechanism according to claim 1, including a resiliently flexible cover over said fold passage, and a pneumatic piston and cylinder arrangement adapted for deflecting said cover upwardly.

4. A mechanism according to claim 1, including a stop member at one end of the magazine and carrier members for displacing strips stored in the magazine against said stop member, the extractor device comprising a substantially vertically displaceable first pusher member and a substantially horizontally displaceable second pusher member, said first pusher member during each operating cycle transferring a strip from the vicinity of the stop to said second pusher member which latter displaces the strip into the guide members at the input of the fold device.

5. A mechanism according to claim 4 including a reci- 20 member is flexibly mounted and a guide member against which said second pusher members abuts resiliently.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,989,385 1/1935 Smith et al. 53223 2,911,774 11/1959 Frank et a1 53-172 X 2,917,887 12/ 1959 Jackson 53230 3,041,804 7/1962 Eichorn et al. 53230 X 3,041,806 7/1962 Burt et al. 53172 FOREIGN PATENTS 757,250 9/ 1956 Great Britain.

BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner.

NEIL ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 53-230 

